Strep Throat

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is official.  Since having a child, I have become a petri dish for all childhood woes.  For example, right before our Florida vacation I got an ear infection.  I haven't had an ear infection in forever.  I was put on antibiotics and I was good to go.  Well, during this past trip to Maryland I had a severe sore throat.  I toughed it out the majority of the trip but I was in a lot of pain.  When I got back, I had had enough and went to the doctor only to find out that I had strep throat.  What the?!  Strep throat?  Also an illness that I can't remember the last time I had...what's worse is the very same day that I went to the doctor about my strep throat, my ear started hurting...Only hours after I had gotten home from the doctor.  By nightfall, my ear was in so much pain I was in tears.  I was back at the doctor the very next day only to find out that I had ANOTHER ear infection on top of having strep throat...What the WHAT?!

I know there are a lot more germs floating around our house now that we have a little kiddo in daycare but now I'm doing my best to ensure that I am the only victim of this.  Having strep throat and ear infections as an adult has allowed me to see and experience the pain littles go through when they have these things but cannot explain the extent of the pain.  I feel for all of the kids out there who have experienced either or both.  And I'm glad I'm back on antibiotics to cure this/these!

Labor Day in MD

We spent our Labor Day weekend in Maryland!  It's always so nice for me to get home and see my side of the family.  I miss them a lot living 7-ish hours away in Ohio.  We saw friends, we saw family, we went to the Baltimore Aquarium (which was amazing!), we saw Travis and Shanel's new casa, and we enjoyed our time together.  Other than having a severe sore throat (more on that later), it was wonderful to be in Maryland and see such wonderful people!

Getting ready to depart!

We arrived to an adorable chalk board art sign in our room!

First stop: National Aquarium!

Inside the shark's mouth!

Looking at the fishies!

Checking out the turtles and making friends!

Kate, Mom, me and Amy sitting for the dolphin show.

I heart this.

Nearly nap time!  She also walked around like she owned
the place with her bink and blanket!

Swinging on the pole in the cafeteria!  The free stuff is always more fun!

Gazing at the water at the Inner Harbor.

Mom, Scott, Leslie and Chris.  We haven't seen Leslie and Chris
in forever so it was awesome to see them!

Mom & Scott.

Family photo at the ole homestead!

Daddy!

Playing on her toy seat!

Which she insisted that I sit on with her!

We got to see Brandi, Crystal and Brandon too!

And we stopped by Travis and Shanel's new house for brunch...

...and a little window nook play!

Of course no summer trip is complete with a stop at
the snowball stand!

Sleeping beauty!

#hashtagthree

#newtoy  #shesobsessed
#weaskedherifshewantedpink
#shepickedblue

#stickers  #yes  #ineedthemall

#earthlingsbeware  #ihavesoap
#andimnotafraidtouseit

#mommyseggstastebetter  #ihearther  #socute

#noattention  #puppydogeyes  #hesgoodatthose  #seriouslyrufflife

#wewalkedtotheparkwithherbabyinherstroller  #sheinsisted
#babyhadtoslidetoo  #ihadtocarryeverythinghome
#includingkate  #andherbaby  #andherstroller
#supermom

To Splash or Not to Splash?

That is the question!

We met up with Mimi and Papaw at the Easton Splash Park today.  I wasn't entirely sure if Kate would like the water or not.  Her teachers tell me that sometimes she skirts along the school wall outside to avoid the sprinklers on Water Day... But she LOVES playing with the hose and filling our pool at home so I figured it'd be worth a shot!  At the very minimum, we'd have a good opportunity to people watch and get out on this beautiful summer day!

Kate and Mimi scope out the splashing.

Contemplating Kate observes the chaos!

She decided that this year it was be best NOT to splash!

But it was fun to take her shoes off!

And she adored giving some of her crackers to the birds!

Sucker for Summer

It's August 18th.  Normally by this time of year I am so looking forward to the fall.  The cool, crisp air, the rustling leaves, the pumpkins!  But not this year.  This year I have been such a sucker for summer.  And I want more.

This summer has been incredible weather wise.  It has been so much cooler than your typical central Ohio summer.  I can't tell you how many days we've had our windows open all day and all night because it was that beautiful.  The fresh air has been a warm welcome into our house.  And the summer breeze has been to die for!  The days that have been hot have been perfect pool days.  And they really haven't been too bad if you're in the shade.  I still feel like I'm waiting for summer to begin, but it's mid-August and summer's nearly ending.

We play outside every chance we get.  We've eaten dinners outside, we've hung in the pool outside, we've taken walks, we've gone to the park, but now are days are getting shorter, and it's nearly September. And that makes me really sad.  I'm not ready to bundle up.  I'm not ready to close our windows.  I'm not ready to lose our daylight.  I want more.  [Cue Ariel singing from The Little Mermaid.]  More summer.

But, alas, I digress.  Fall is upon us.  I have no choice but to hope for an Indian summer that lasts well into October or even November!  (That would be amazing!)  When it's cool and cold and I long for warmth, these are some of the things that I want to remember about this summer:

Summer 2014 Favorites
-Covering Kate's blinds with blankets and towels to make it appear darker in her room.
-Staying out at the park past Kate's bedtime because the night is so gorgeous.
-The summer sounds - they have been extra special this year because so many nights we've slept with our windows open.
-Kate saying, "Outside?!" every chance she gets!  Certainly it's the first thing she says when I pick her up from daycare!
-Taking walks - with Kate in her stroller, walking together side by side, and/or carrying her.  No matter the mode of transportation, it's always a good night when we get to walk together.
-The little things Kate notices on our walks together - the bear paws on the driveways, the port-a-potties (potties) at the houses being renovated, the airplanes, the squirrels, the house numbers on the curbs, the boat in the driveway.
-Kate's safety - When we are walking together and a car is coming, Kate moves over to the curb with me and waits for the car to pass before we start walking again.  (We don't have sidewalks on the street we take to the park.)
-How Kate knows the exact way to the park and semi-throws a fit when we go any way other than that way!
-The day we went to the park twice in one day because it was so nice.
-Wearing long sleeves and/or pants outdoors and feeling comfortable.
-Our garden - Kate LOVES to pick cherry tomatoes straight from our garden and eat them on the spot.  It is the cutest thing ever.
-The fireflies in our yard.
-Playing hide and go seek with our dog, Jack.
-Playing airplane and horsey.
-Kate's recently new found love of bubble baths!

I know there are many, many more favorites from this summer, but these are the ones that are on the forefront of my mind right now.  They are the little things that I have enjoyed so much this summer.  Seeing summer through Kate's eyes.  Learning about the world around us. Raising a child is like having a second childhood, only you are older and wiser.  It's is the most incredible and rewarding journey I've ever been on.

Taking a walk.  Kate sometimes even has me
push her cart next to her while she pushes
her stroller.  We each have a baby.

Intrigued by the construction being done on the
house on the corner.

The Playground Princess surveying her kingdom!

Standing on her tippy toes to see the very outskirts!

Climbing up or sliding down?  You be the judge.

SLLIIDDEEE!

Slide hair!

Oh, won't you stay, Summer?  Just a little bit longer?  Please, please, please, please, please, tell me that you're gonna.

Kate Convos

In addition to our Tips & Tricks series and our #hashtag series, we're also starting a third series called Kate Convos!  Now that Kate is talking a lot more and putting words together, we know there are going to be conversations that we don't want to forget.  Our Kate Convos is where we will be able to record them!

Here is just a sampling of what we've heard so far!

Convo #1
[Mommy walking down the steps after putting on a magenta zip up.]
Kate: (squealed) PURPLE!

Convo #2
[Mommy turning the lights on in Kate's room in the morning to get her ready for school.]
Kate: (in her sleepy voice) Glasses?
(Apparently it was too bright.)

Convo #3
When I disappear from Kate's line of sight, she stops what she is doing, goes to a central part of the house, like the bottom of our steps and yells.
Kate: MAMA?!
(And calls my name repeatedly until I answer!)

Convo #s 4, 5, & 6
I have starting asking Kate what she wants to be for Halloween.  She's a bit young to grasp this concept, but I figured I'd try.

Mommy: Kate, what would you like to be for Halloween?
Kate: Octopus!
(I put on my thinking cap and got excited about this new project!)

Mommy: Kate, what would you like to be for Halloween?
Kate: Doctor!
(We had stopped by the pediatrician's office that morning!)

Mommy: Kate, what would you like to be for Halloween?
Kate: Papaw!
(Papaw is Brian's Stepdad/Kate's Grandpa.  I have no freakin' clue how I'm going to pull that one off!)

Convo #7
[Mommy and Kate sitting at the table after dinner.]
Kate:  NEEIIIGGGHHH!
(Apparently Kate wanted to play...and she wanted me to be the horsey!)

Convo #8
[I had just sung the first verse of Where Is Thumpkin? while driving home.]
Mommy: Did you like that song?
Kate: [Very matter of factly.] No.
(But then she asked me to sing it for the rest of the ride home - to which I obliged!)

We hope you enjoy this series as much as we do already!

Cutie Patootie

The pink polka dots!  The stripes!  The hair!  The cuteness!  I just couldn't resist posting the photos from this weekend and this little video!

21 month old Kate is a trip!  Such a big personality in such a little package!  Kate, we adore you!

My heart melts a little every time I see this photo!

Enjoying some grits!  (Kate LOVES grits!)
Meanwhile Jack waits patiently for any bits
that Kate decides to share...

She ditches the spork for some good ole'
mess makin'!

She also LOVES her glasses!

I heart this!

Kate was being super silly at lunch!  She would scream and I would jump pretending like she scared me with her scream!  She was laughing so hard which made me laugh so hard!  This Mama will do nearly anything to hear her little girl giggle!

Adorable! These are the moments I don't want to forget!

Stubborn Love

Yesterday Brian and I celebrated our fourth year of marriage.  In many ways it feels like we have been together much longer than that, in a good way.  We've done a lot in our four years of marriage...A LOT.

We met in 2008 right after Brian moved back to the US after living in Scotland for just over a year.  I moved to Ohio in 2009 and we got engaged shortly thereafter.  In 2010 we got a dog, we got married, and we bought a house.  In 2011 we took a trip overseas to Europe.  In 2012 we had a baby.  Apparently we took a breather in 2013 and here we are in 2014.  Sprinkle in the added ingredients of daily life throughout all those years and it feels like we've been together much longer.  We've had a whirlwind relationship, but I suppose when you know, you just know.

Four years!

While there have been many, many good times in our four year marriage, there have also been trying times. Brian and I are both eldest children.  I'm the eldest of four; Brian is the eldest of two.  We are both stubborn as the day is long.  We know what we want and we want it our way, and a lot of those times our ways are different.  Before Brian and I got married, we were asked to take a pre-marital class.  In this class we took personality tests and learned we are exact opposites on the spectrum.  I am much more of an introvert and he is much more of an extrovert, among other things.  In addition, we both come from divorced families, adding just another bit of stress to already tricky circumstances.

Nonetheless, we continue to navigate through our marriage together.  Learning from one another, teaching one another, working on ourselves individually, and working together to be the best team that we can be for our marriage and for our family. The grass may be greener on the other side, but it's greenest where you water it.  And we are both fully committed and excited to continue watering our grass.

We kept this year pretty low key.  Mimi and Papaw came over to watch Kate while Brian and I headed to dinner at the Pint House, stopped by the dealership to check out Brian's new whip, took a walk around Antrim Park, and stopped for ice cream (or in my case, gummies) on the way back home.

My favorite part of the entire night was our walk.  It was chilly enough to have worn a jacket and such a beautiful night.  Weather like this is unheard of in early August around here.

Our walk around Antrim Park. ♥

Throughout our four years, we've had our ups...

...and our downs.

We've had our days where I drive you crazy...

And our days where you make me want to scream!

But at the end of each of those days, I'm happy we're by each
other's sides.

Happy 4th anniversary, Bri!

I'm so glad we're in this together!